The parties in the federal government are looking to Europe to solve the pressing asylum problem in Belgium. This became apparent on Sunday during a debate in De Zevende Dag. “There are 35,000 places. At a certain point you have to dare to say that there is no extra stretch,” said CD&V chairman Sammy Mahdi.
State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor stated last week that no shelter will be provided for single men who apply for asylum in the near future. Despite criticism from the government partners, this instruction remained valid even after the Council of Ministers. Its chairman defended that approach on Sunday. “You can’t just keep conjuring up places, so a priority rule has been introduced,” said Sammy Mahdi.
But coalition partner Groen is having a hard time with the instruction. “Ms de Moor’s statements go against human rights and our international obligations,” said chairman Nadia Naji. “We have not been involved and I think it is very damaging. The only one that benefits from this is Vlaams Belang.”
Groen sees opportunities in a better distribution of asylum seekers within Belgium. “Five shelters per municipality and we don’t have a crisis,” said Naji.
“Tackling the problem at its core”
Open VLD and CD&V look to Europe for a solution. “We have to tackle the problem at the core,” said Open VLD chairman Tom Ongena. “There is a high influx, insufficient spread in Europe and insufficient outflow. Belgium’s European presidency offers a huge opportunity to address that.”
“If you want to solve the problem structurally, you have to ensure that people are screened at the external borders, especially at the European level,” Mahdi also said. “Today it is still the case that a majority of people arriving in Europe are not entitled to protection.”
Reactions opposition
PVDA chairman Raoul Hedebouw denounced the political games he believes are being played with asylum seekers. “It is a political decision to let people sleep outside,” he said. “This is a political game within Vivaldi. Mrs de Moor wanted to send a signal to her coalition partners.”
Tom Van Grieken of Vlaams Belang repeated his plea for an upper limit on the number of asylum seekers. “Anyone who enters the country illegally must lose the right of residence,” he said. “In addition, the procedure must be shortened and work must be done on an effective return policy.”
LOOK. Earlier this week, activists gathered at a squat in Wetstraat
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